The Latest News & Insights
Welcome to the Breathing Buildings news hub, your go-to source for the latest updates, technical insights, and industry developments in low-carbon natural, mechanical and hybrid ventilation. Here, we share everything from company announcements and new product launches to expert commentary on evolving UK building regulations, Part F and Part L compliance, and sustainability standards. Whether you are a consultant looking for the latest engineering insights, a contractor tracking project updates, or a building owner exploring ways to improve indoor air quality and reduce carbon emissions, our articles are designed to keep you informed and inspired. Explore our latest posts below to see how we are continually shaping the future of energy-efficient building ventilation.
Huw Poppy Returns to Breathing Buildings as Operations Director
Breathing Buildings, the pioneer of hybrid ventilation systems, has announced the return of Huw Poppy in his new role as Operations Director. Huw, who originally joined Breathing Buildings in 2011 and previously held the position of Sales Director, brings 20 years of…
Breathing Buildings Showcases Entire School Ventilation Solutions at the Education Estates Exhibition and Conference
Breathing Buildings is set to showcase its complete ventilation solution of natural, hybrid, and mechanical ventilation for schools, colleges, and universities on Stand 208 at the Education Estates Exhibition and Conference. Taking place at the Manchester Central…
Breathing Buildings Offers Entire School Ventilation Solutions
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled natural and hybrid ventilation systems, offers schools a complete ventilation solution to enhance indoor air quality (IAQ), energy efficiency, and sustainability. With high energy costs driving schools to improve…
Breathing Buildings’ NVHRe Wins at Energy Saving Awards
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled natural and hybrid ventilation systems, has scooped the Commercial Ventilation Product of the Year Award at this year’s prestigious Energy Saving Awards . The company won the award for its…
Breathing Buildings Supports World Ventil8 Day!
World Ventil8 Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of ventilation as a crucial part of enabling health and wellbeing of people. Taking place on Thursday 8 November 2024, World Ventil8 Day was initiated by a group of researchers and professional…
Exciting Times at Breathing Buildings as Company Strides Ahead in Indoor Air Quality
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled natural and hybrid ventilation systems, is striding ahead in indoor air quality (IAQ) with three exciting developments. Firstly, the company has led the way in innovation by recently celebrating winning…
Breathing Buildings’ NVHRe Wins at HVR Awards
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled natural and hybrid ventilation systems, is celebrating winning ‘Commercial/Industrial Ventilation Product of the Year’ category at the prestigious HVR Awards 2024. The company impressed the judges…
Breathing Buildings’ Pioneering Hybrid Ventilation Shortlisted in Prestigious HVR Awards
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled natural and hybrid ventilation systems, has reached the final of the prestigious HVR Awards. The company is celebrating its NVHR® 1700, Breathing Buildings’ latest energy efficient hybrid ventilation unit, being…
Breathing Buildings Helps Make Use of Free Heat Gains with Expansion of Award-Winning NVHR Range
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled natural and hybrid ventilation systems, has added to its award-winning natural ventilation with heat recycling (NVHR) range with its new NVHR® 1700. This larger unit is ideal for leisure centres, halls, sport…
Helimed House is Flying High as EAAA Headquarters Wins CIBSE East Anglia Awards Project of the Year
Breathing Buildings is delighted that East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) charity headquarters, Helimed House, has won Project of the Year at this year’s CIBSE East Anglia Awards. This follows hot on the heels of Breathing Buildings celebrating winning…
The Power of Working in Collaboration Recognised as Breathing Buildings Wins at HVR Awards
Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled hybrid ventilation systems, is celebrating winning the Collaboration of the Year category at the prestigious HVR Awards. The company scooped the award for its collaboration with the East Anglian Air…
Breathing Buildings’ Awards Shortlisting Recognises the Value of Collaboration when creating Healthy Working Environments
Recognising the power of working in collaboration with other project team members and the vital importance of good indoor air quality (IAQ) the HVR Awards has shortlisted Breathing Buildings, a leading provider of controlled hybrid ventilation systems, in…
Government Publish New Building Regulations
Breathing Buildings welcomes the new changes to Part L and F Building Regulations alongside the entirely new Overheating approved document O as a vital step towards providing good indoor air quality on the road to Net Zero, including additional ventilation when…
Breathing Buildings Provides Hybrid Ventilation to Air Ambulance Headquarters
Breathing Buildings, the UK’s leading provider of controlled hybrid ventilation systems, has supplied ventilation to the new East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) HQ building. With sustainability at its heart, the project extended and largely rebuilt EAAA’s original…
Breathing Buildings Offers CIBSE-Approved CPD on School Ventilation
Breathing Buildings, the UK’s leading provider of controlled hybrid ventilation systems, is offering a CIBSE-approved CPD on meeting the requirements of BB101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools and TM52: The Limits of Thermal…
Building Bulletin 101
BB101 guidance sets the benchmark for ventilation in school buildings, helping to ensure that indoor environments support the health, wellbeing, and performance of occupants. Effective ventilation is essential for reducing the build-up of carbon dioxide (CO₂),…
Frequently Asked Questions
Section 1 – How it works Section 2 – Cost Section 3 – Control Section 4 – Regulations Section 5 – Installations Section 6 – Terms Section 1 – How it Works What is natural ventilation? Natural ventilation is a low energy way to provide a flow of fresh air through a…
Breeam
A guide to credits available for non-domestic buildings using e-stack or NVHR systems. Breathing Buildings are often approached for advice about BREEAM Credits available for buildings which use our unique hybrid ventilation systems. This document indicates which…
BB101 Ventilation in Schools
Breathing Buildings discuss the updated 2018 edition of the regulations governing ventilation in schools. BB101 guidance sets the benchmark for ventilation in school buildings, helping to ensure that indoor environments support the health, wellbeing, and performance…
Thermal Comfort and Overheating in the UK
A Breathing Buildings guide to understanding policy for energy-efficient interiors and schools. Thermal comfort is defined by more than just a thermometer; it involves the duration and severity of heat exposure. 1. CIBSE Guide A (2006) The Chartered Institution of…
Research & Development
At Breathing Buildings we are constantly working to further reduce the energy consumption of buildings. We are continuing to refine the control algorithms of the E-stack system to push the boundaries of energy saving potential in a range of building types. This…
Comparing Energy Savings in IES
The building we modelled We are often asked what IES shows for natural ventilation and alternative ventilation strategies. The short answer is the e-stack system provides significant energy savings. But don’t take our word for it let us help you to model your…
Cold Draught Calculator
We are always talking to clients, consultants and contractors about the risk of cold draughts. Well now we have devised an excel tool to illustrate whether your system will give occupants a cold draught. The tool asks for several simple inputs: Dimensions of the room…
Indoor Air Quality in Schools
Building Bulletin 101 (BB101) and the PSBP Output Specification (2014) establish rigorous standards for ventilation, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality, helping to create healthier learning environments that support the wellbeing, comfort, and academic…
Ventilation in Schools
Teaching environments are where ideas are cultivated and young talent is nurtured, requiring excellent air quality and thermal comfort that can help with the process of learning. Within schools, colleges and universities concentration is extremely important, and with…
What is Mixing Ventilation?
Breathing Buildings pioneered the concept of mixing ventilation with the discovery and development of the proprietary e-stack ventilation system, as part of a major research programme at the University of Cambridge. So, how does mixing ventilation work? In winter,…
Natural Ventilation Explained
Ventilation in buildings is important because it provides occupants with a healthy and comfortable environment. Natural ventilation goes one step further, using the forces of wind and buoyancy to help air move naturally through a building, rather than using expensive,…
What is Hybrid Ventilation?
Hybrid ventilation is the term most commonly used to describe schemes where the ventilation is neither entirely natural, nor entirely mechanical. The designer has taken a pragmatic approach and has opted, not for the purest or simplest strategy, but for the best…
MAGIC Partners Meeting
Breathing Buildings were delighted once again to attend the bi-annual MAGIC Partners Meeting held at Downing College, Cambridge on March 25th, 2019. Attendees came from across industry, policy and academia, with fascinating talks from, amongst others, Cambridge County…
Breathing Buildings’ NVHR® Wins Prestigious Energy Award
Breathing Buildings is delighted to announce that it has won a prestigious Energy Award. Recognising the vital importance of good indoor air quality and thermal comfort in schools, the Cambridge-based company’s new energy efficient NVHR® (Natural Ventilation with Heat…
Breathing Buildings Set To Take The Stage At CIBSE Build2perform Live 2018
Breathing Buildings is delighted to be presenting a seminar at the CIBSE Build2Perform Live, taking place on 27th and 28th November 2018 at Olympia, London. Breathing Buildings’ Technical Director, Dr Owen Connick will be speaking on the 27th November 2018 at 12:00pm…
Breathing Buildings’ Shortlisting Recognises the Importance of Healthy Learning Environments
Recognising the vital importance of good indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort in schools, the Energy Awards have shortlisted Breathing Buildings in their 2018 awards. The Cambridge-based company’s new energy efficient NVHR® (Natural Ventilation with Heat…
Breathing Buildings’ NVHR® Wins at HVR Awards
Breathing Buildings is celebrating winning ‘Commercial/Industrial Ventilation Product of the Year’ category at the HVR Awards 2018. The Cambridge-based company’s new energy efficient NVHR® (Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling) scooped the award at a glittering…
Breathing Buildings Welcomes updated BB101 guidelines
Breathing Buildings has welcomed the 2018 edition of BB101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools. Published recently by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the document is aimed at technical professionals involved in the…
Breathing Buildings Launches New Education Brochure
Breathing Buildings, UK’s leading provider of controlled hybrid ventilation systems, has launched a new sector-specific brochure aimed at ventilation applications in education. ‘Ventilation for Schools’ outlines key considerations for ventilation in schools and…
The Noise Issue: Acoustics and Ventilation in Schools
Breathing Buildings has released a new, easy-to-grasp guide to BB93. Titled ‘The Noise Issue: Acoustics and Ventilation in Schools’, the data-rich infographic provides guidance on the acoustic performance standards that affect the acoustic design of schools, including…
Educating the Engineers of the Future
On 14th March 2018, Dr Owen Connick, Consulting Manager at Breathing Buildings, will lead a workshop on applications of fluid mechanics in the built environment at Imperial College London. Breathing Buildings are delighted to once again be at the forefront of teaching…
Natural Ventilation behind the scenes
YMCA East Anton is a purpose-built nursery for 0-5 year olds which opened in October 2017. At early design stage it was suggested that the classrooms should have mechanical ventilation systems. However, YMCA had concerns about the energy use as well as maintenance…
Breathing Buildings Head To Glasgow With CIBSE Scotland
On 20th February 2018, Breathing Buildings’ Consulting Manager Dr Owen Connick, delivered a technical seminar on natural and hybrid ventilation to an audience of more than 30 interested professionals from CIBSE Scotland. Those in attendance included consultant…
Breathing Buildings Supporting Engineers of Tomorrow
Breathing Buildings are pleased to be sponsoring the engineers’ presentation evening at Girton College on 26th January. The presentations are held in the beautiful surroundings of the Stanley Library and are intended to provide a glimpse into the wide array of…
Breathing Buildings Showcased At Cleantech Growth Event
Shaun Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of Breathing Buildings, is supporting Cambridge Cleantech by giving the showcase case study at 5pm on 17 January 2018 to tackle the question of how to move your business from start-up to scale-up. The event is at the office of Taylor…
Bracing the storm
Breathing Buildings is proud to have launched the passive roof terminal with the best weather performance for any ventilation cowl. The mushroom cowl design is now de facto the preferred choice by contractors and designers alike. When we launched the first product in…
Breathing Buildings’ takes centre stage at CIBSE Build2perform Live 2017
21 st & 22 nd November 2017, Olympia, London Breathing Buildings is delighted to be presenting a seminar at the CIBSE Build2Perform Live, taking place on 21st and 22nd November 2017 at Olympia, London. Breathing Buildings’ Consulting Manager, Dr Owen…
Breathing Buildings’ ventilation design helps Bloomberg HQ beat BREEAM record
The recently completed Bloomberg headquarters in London has set a new world record BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ sustainability rating for an office building at design-stage. It is hoped that the building will serve as a stimulus for other projects in London with…
Getting to grips with new Ventilation Guidelines
The September 2017 edition of CIBSE Journal includes a helpful article by Liza Young on the new BB101 Guidance on Ventilation in Schools. (Page 45) Suppliers, including Shaun Fitzgerald of Breathing Buildings, were interviewed about three types of…
Weather Data
In 2016, the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) released new weather data sets to be used in the UK construction and building services industry. Weather files are used by Building Services engineers to predict thermal comfort in buildings, at…
Comparing Weather Files
Breathing Buildings use weather files provided by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) in order to model overheating in buildings throughout the year. CIBSE provides two types of weather file, for 14 locations across the UK: -The Test…
New Summer Placement Students
Breathing Buildings is delighted to announce that we are once again supporting and developing our links with Cambridge University by taking on two undergraduate students to join us for 10 week paid Summer Placement internships. Katherine Cook of Emmanuel College and…
Cambridge Civil Engineering Event
Every year the University of Cambridge Civil Engineering undergraduates spend their final day together in the splendid surroundings of Emmanuel College. During the day, the final year students deliver presentations on their 4th year projects, which span a wide range…
QEII Centre
QEII Relaunched! London conference venue gets a breath of fresh air. The QEII Centre, in the heart of London, is one of the UK’s premier conference and exhibition venues. The landmark building, opposite the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, is celebrating its 30th…